Thursday, 24 December 2015

Modern art is either hate or love. I loved the fashion exhibition at Istanbul Modern but hated (maybe hate is too strong a word) the Tate. It's quite boring with no exciting installation. The only thing that caught my eye was a oversized silver platter (and by oversized, I mean bigger than a baby cot) with silver utensils, kitchenware and cutlery carelessly scattered most on one half of the platter. The description akin it to rice covering half the plate - the deeper meaning was so many people have utensils but yet starve. How apt. How sad.

On the other hand, I loved the paintings at the National Gallery! One can learn so much about fashion and not from the paintings.

I just saw a mid-size brown fox outside the full-length living room window! At the corner of my eye, I saw something ran across the window, thinking it was a cat, I looked up. I got a pleasant surprise when the fox sat down, looked at me, and chilled with me for a good 15 seconds. I told him, "I was just asking about you this morning" (Chewy had previously told me that there is a fox in the estate.)

The fox looked very healthy so I guess I won't be rabbits hopping around the estate any time soon. ;)

Sunday, 1 November 2015

First trip to India and I was in a bubble - airport to hotel to office to hotel to airport to hotel to office to hotel to airport. Yes, that's the whole trip and I only ventured a little of out my bubble. Next time, I promised to do so more!

Gurgaon and Hyderabad reminded me so much of Indonesia - the crazy all directional traffic with no regard for traffic rules or lights; the beggar moms with their babies in arms for sympathy factor at the road junctions knocking on your window pane; the kids with the blank stares, sitting on the street kerbs or any steps they are not being chased away from; the destitute resigned to having to bear the noise, dirt, lack of hygiene in their little shacks across the streets of walled commercial buildngs. I guess the culture shock was less than what I had expected and I have no idea if that's a good thing.

I took a day trip to Arga with a work colleague from Singapore whom I happen to know is travelling to Gurgaon at the same time, and that's the beauty of having miscellaneous internal forums. While rich in grandeur, Taj Mahal was a disappointment in its size. I have had stories about this places and the attraction was cleared hyped more than deserved. The six-hour car ride with a new driver who took multiple wrong and non-expressway routes from Gurgaon to Arga didn't help. The only good thing that happened was the McDonald's which I got to try unexpectedly enroute to Arga. But it was a disappointment too with the greasy fries and taste-lacking Chicken Maharaja burger.

The first day in the Gurgaon's office and an magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred. I felt the office building swaying and I looked over to my colleague and asked "Is the building swaying or is it me?" Suddenly, a few of them then agreed that the building was indeed moving left and right. Everyone started evacuating and I cannot believe how slow people were moving. I mean, I am not expecting anyone to panic and start running amok but a speedier descent down the stairs to the gathering grounds would have been much appreciated.Mark Zuckerberg was at the Taj and my manager's manager joked that he's stalking me. I must ask security to look into this. Google have "so much" to worry about from Facebook. Pun intended.

I felt right at home when dressed up in my sari to explore Falaknuma Palace and Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad. Falaknuma Palace lived up to its name of a luxury hotel-palace and we felt like royals here. The view from patio showed flickering lights across the city and it felt surreal. The flowy sari made me feel so feminine and showed off the right curves at the right place. It should really be advertised as the next big dieting tool! It's definitely something that helps curbs appetite if you do not want an exposed muffin top after each meal.

One cannot begin to count the number of times an Indian (both genders) came up to ask for a picture together. At one point, I had to tell them to stop and say "No more photos". Now, I know exactly how a celebrity feels with papps snapping their photos with and without their consent.This trip, I met awesome work colleagues from different offices (Dublin, Mountain View, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Singapore). This is what I really love about visiting other Google offices - the people who makes a difference to your experience.

See you again soon, India!

[Photos, instead of slideshow, for Joey who likes to read from her mobile devices]

Friday, 11 September 2015

Today, the citizens of my beloved country cast their votes at polling stations globally to determine if the opposition parties will be able to gain more traction in the stagnant state of State politics.

Update: The citizens disappoint and the country moves on. I am going to make politics my second career. Yes, you read it here - I will run for parliament when I retire from my first love.

Monday, 31 August 2015

Anyone who knows me knows I hate planning for travel. Yes, I have been to a few far-flung places but I didn't plan everything meticulously. And my colleague will attest (quite angrily) to a recent incident where a supposed planned trip to Vegas didn't materialised due to my lack of will to plan - I pled not guilty and points the finger to another colleague who needed me to be around in the office.

But I do NOT want to digress.

Since 18 months ago during Chinese New Year, my aunt has been asking if I would visit Chewy in London. I nonchalantly responded "Yes, perhaps with Papa in the Summer".

To which my aunt gleefully replied "I have not been to Europe. Maybe I can go with you?"

"Sure" came the too quick response. I am always all for people to join me on my travels.

Little did I realise that I'll end up planning a family trip for two elderly, two cousins, one cousin's boyfriend and myself. This trip will take us to London, Paris, Marly-le-Roi, Lisbon and Porto. My lack of planning caused us a trip to Iceland but I guessed there is always another time to visit, especially when Chewy gets her other place - hopefully, I won't have to pay for accommodation anymore!

Now, let us take a trip down memory lane on this amazing, surprised-filled family trip...

Tuesday, 25 August 2015

There is a reason for everything that happens. And there plenty of good reasons why you shouldn't be friends with your ex on social media. The messages from his past life will make you overanalyse every.single.word. that has been posted for the public to see.

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

While travelling from Warren Street to Euston on the Victoria Line, he leaned into my hair, smelled it, and whispered "I love you" unexpectedly into my left ear for the first time (in five years). Yes, he does silly sweet things like this sometimes.

Saturday, 8 August 2015

I found someone who loved me in all entirety​ - my strengths and flaws; the good, bad and ugly; my imperfections; my temper and the tempers; my dreams and my fears; my everything. And I kid no one. It should​ have​ be​en​ a fairytale ending with a ring, flowers, vows, house, holidays,​ maybe even a few patters of tiny feet.​

Tuesday, 4 August 2015

There are some cities that you just fall in love with very naturally and almost immediately. Lisbon is one that made me feel that way. The narrow one-person cobblestone hilly walkways, the million shoe shops, the most-friendly locals, the coconut buns, everything! And it's been a while since I have felt this way! It's a pleasant surprise, even for myself. :)

AquariusWhen people tell you to “just be yourself!” Aquarius, you can tumble down a philosophical rabbit hole. What the f*** does that mean?! You are far too much of a multi-hyphenate to be pigeonholed into a single category. Honestly, fulfilling this directive is simple: Simply be who you feel like being in any given moment. And with Wednesday marking the annual full moon in Aquarius, how about turning up the volume on your personality (or should we say personalities) up to sonic boom level? Let the world taste the rainbow that is you.

And by all means, brag a little louder! Your hard work these past six months could win you major attention under this lunar light. You deserve to be celebrated, but you can’t wait around for people to discover you. On Saturday, there is happy news for your career as Saturn U-turns out of retrograde mode and rolls out the red carpet for your success. Over the coming six weeks, you could accomplish something major with a little bit of elbow grease. Or, you may finally figure out what the next step of the “what I want to do with my life” journey looks like. Men will be most helpful in this inquiry, so reach out to your boys for advice.

I remember it was a Wednesday. Not today but a prior Wednesday. It was the Wednesday that had me happy, smiling, smirking, and going "Hell, yeah!"

My packet was highlighted by a back-stabbing b**** as poor quality and that really upset me. I pour my heart and soul into every packet that I have to create. It represents my work, my diligence and so much more.

So when my packet was called out especially for it's quality by a senior management team member, I cannot help but think "This is how I am showing you all what a fucking good recruiter I am!"

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

It's exactly a year since I have switched teams at work and I cannot be happier with the ride I have been on. I daresay I am driven and ambitious, and I want to achieve so much at work.

I am very proud of the work I have done, the decisions I have taken, the people I have mentored, the projects I have influenced and even the mistakes I have made!

I am planning some exciting things at work which will stretch my capability and ability to learn, perform and deliver in the second half of the year. While I am always not at liberty to discuss work at length and in details, I can say I am going to continue being super happy at work. :)

(PS: I always wonder why some people stay in their miserable jobs in their own free will and continue to be miserable. I am glad I am not in such a situation and I wished everyone would be responsible for taking matters into their owns hands to find happiness through work. One way or another.)

Sunday, 21 June 2015

小说虽然简单但深带含义。小说中的作家男主角是个花心大萝卜，有了爱他的人，他却不珍惜，到处玩女人。最终，很不难预测的遇见了他的梦中情人后，故事变的更精彩。我不把故事内容透露，让其他的读者自己阅读。第一次把小说读完后，觉得小说里的故事太扯了。所以又把小说看了一遍。最终，我了解了一些爱情和人生的小道理，就是生活要冒险，不能永远按部就班。有理想一定要坚持。轰轰烈烈的爱情不一定是坏事。(P/S: This review of Love and Other Spider Webs got rejected by Amazon so I figured I'd post here. Eventually, I did.)

Sunday, 14 June 2015

After finishing Tomorrowland, the words "Brad Bird" flashed across the screen indicating him as the Director. I thought the name looked familiar and immediately googled him. I smiled when I read that he directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille - two of my favourite animations.

SPOILER ALERT!

The movie has a clique storyline about sci-fi, Armageddon and a lovelorn relationship - the movie hero always save the world. However, I LOVED it's panned cinematography, simple colour palette, realistic futuristic architecture, retro avant garde costumes design and most importantly, the talented young actresses!

Of course, it helps that I just visited Disneyland and the movie brought back good memories of the USA trip in a distant setting. :)

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

I always thought I shouldn't use big words unless I'm a published writer. Yet, I cannot be a published writer unless I use big words.

Well, that's what I'd thought till now.

I think I have cracked the code to this conundrum!

I know a Polish writer who claims he doesn't use big words. I (over)analysed the reasons behind this and realised Polish words (each being 25 characters length at least) ARE all big words. So if I start TRYING to write in Polish, I could and would be a published writer in no time!

So here goes.

To jest pierwsze zdanie mojej pierwszej powieści, i dopóki chcesz przeczytać ostatnie zdanie, będziesz nadal na pierwszym zdaniu.*P/S: I don't think Google translate does a good job at translating "This is the first sentence of my first novel, and until you'd read the last sentence, you'd be still on the first sentence."

Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Attending a summit for work and then having a summit of a good time after work in May!

Four days before I was due to fly to Sydney, I didn't have any accommodation booked. So typical. I decided to send an email to my Sydney colleagues via our internal miscellaneous forum to check if anyone would like to rent their room out for the weekend. Within an hour, I got an email from a colleague, Miklos, who was going away for the weekend with his wife and is willing let me stay at their house in Annandale. He was going to leave on Thursday and I will arrive on Friday so we need to move fast if I want to stay at theirs. The only thing was I needed to help them do during my stay is to feed the fish and pet (and NOT feed) the neighbour's cat. I was definitely happy to help with the pets - especially a cat! - and was hoping that the rent won't cost me an arm and a leg.

"Leave the animals in my good care. Can I check how much will the rent be for the weekend?"
"Let me check with the wife."
"Sure."
"Wife says no rent."

SAY WHAT?! The only thing I know about Miklos is that he works at Google Sydney. I have never worked with him or spoken to him before. NOW, HE IS GOING TO LET ME STAY AT HIS PLACE FOR FREE! AND I AM GOING TO HAVE THE WHOLE PLACE TO MYSELF!

Some people just have all the luck in the world. :P

After I got over the initial delightful surprise, Miklos proceed to make sure that he has all the info I needed when I arrive at his apartment - sending me a video of his place, giving me info on transportation, instructions on how to feed the fish, letting me know where to find keys.

To abruptly end the story about Miklos and his wife, the fish survived under my care and the cat left me broken-hearted.

After the work summit, Sissy and I flew to Brisbane where the roadtrip began and the boys watched out for trouble (read: us)!

The 4-day trip took us across Brisbane and Byron where we had all the time to do all things silly and girly - we drove a huge rental, got lost deliberate and not, took plenty selfies, hiked along the beaches and hills, shopped to our hearts' delights, got sun-kissed while dozing, talked to random people, danced on gorgeous heels, ate till our tummies burst, drank like ladies, break into laughing fits, flirted with beautiful strangers, made out with others, and had a hell of a amazing time!

All good things must come to an end. When Sissy and I parted ways at the airport, we hugged so tightly that we know this friendship will last f.o.r.e.v.e.r. :)

Friday, 8 May 2015

14 minutes before my flight from Melbourne to Sydney, the announcement came: "Welcome to flight QF422, we regret to inform you that the flight is now cancelled. All passengers have been rebooked on the 1030am flight instead."

Monday, 4 May 2015

It was Labour Day and on this public holiday weekend, I embarked on a quick 5-day getaway to Seoul - one of the few places I wanted to visit since I started watching Return of the Superman. I wrote about how the show inspired me to want to spend a few hours with my god-daughter, Chantel.

The Korean wave has been sweeping across the globe and if only I can be bothered with other Korean shows, I'd have a better idea of what else to do in Seoul! But that's not going to stop me from just bulldozing through the city. All I knew was I wanted to eat non-stop!

Tuesday, 21 April 2015

Seeing Denise for the second time since her birth made me over the moon! She is soooo adorable and yes, I am very biased! She was so well-behaved during our dinner and I'm super happy that she is growing up healthy.

Friday, 27 March 2015

San Diego - Animal rescue centres in California are being inundated with stranded, starving sea lion pups, raising the possibility that the facilities could soon be overwhelmed, the federal agency coordinating the rescue said.

The precise cause is not clear, but scientists believe the sea lions are suffering from a scarcity of natural prey that forces nursing mothers to venture farther out to sea for food, leaving their young behind for longer periods.

"As facilities reach capacity, it will likely not be possible to rescue and rehabilitate every impacted animal," said Justin Viezbecke, stranding coordinator for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

This year, a record 1,450 starving pups have been rescued in Southern California.

Monday, 2 March 2015

After watching 20 episodes of The Return of Superman (OMG, did I really spend 43.5 hours watching a Korean show?!), I can't help but go through the same emotional roller coaster with the parents. They crack up, I crack up, They calm down, they calm down. They choke up, I choke up. They feel beaten down, I feel beaten down. They light up, I light up. They get fed up, I get fed up. I told you it's an emotional roller coaster!

I have a number of close friends who have become parents in recent years and I can just imagine it's them on the telly feeding, discipling, bathing, teaching, worrying and playing with their kids. And since I'm god-mum to two adorable girls now, the show tugs at my heart that much more.

Now, the best part about the show is that I feel very inspired to take care of a kid on my own for a few hours. I see these dads taking care of their kids, without the mums, and they all behave like fish out of water. I have always said that I'm good with kids but I need to clarify that I meant I'm good with playing with kids. I can entertain kids for a good amount of time but if I need to take care of them (read: ensuring they stay fed and alive), I wonder how good I'll be at that.

My opportunity came to put myself to the test arrived when I met Ying and Chantel for lunch last Saturday. Joey, Ying, Chantel and I try to meet at least once a month so the two god-mums (Joey and I) can watch Chantel grow up. You know the saying "Kids grow up so fast"? I swear it's a genius who came up with that line! Chantel is three and a half years old now, and she really is like a little adult with a mind of her own. I don't wish for time to stop and for her to stop growing but I wished it'll go slower.

Ying decided that she'll go for a facial and leave Chantel in my care for 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours may seem like nothing for some. But you go ahead and ask any parent how long does 3 hours feels like with his or her 3-year old, I'd bet the answer you'd get is "It's like an eternity but longer". In a good way, of course. Haha.

Anyhow, Chantel and I started our bonding time by having ice cream! Yes, that's one guaranteed way to have a kid almost love you immediately. Yes, ice cream! When we are done with filling our tummies with yummy ice creamy (yes, that's how any adult would speak when they hang out with a kid), we proceeded to window-shop around the mall. BUT not before acceding to Chantel's request of putting a glossy pink lip balm from a Frozen tube. Frozen is the other secret weapon nowadays to win a girl's heart. Give a young girl anything with images of Elsa, Anna or Olaf, and you'll be her favourite person of the day. But this post is not about me giving you on how to become a young kid's best friend. It's about me bribing my god-daughter with material needs for love in return. Just kidding!

After 3 hours of window shopping with Chantel, I have learnt a few things.

1. A kid has a different vantage point from an adult and one shouldn't assume a kid can see all the danger in front of them. Even if the danger is IN FRONT of them!
2. Have faith in your kid that he and she is smart is enough to know how to step on and off an escalator.
3. You don't expect to follow someone's order just because you're given an order, so you should get off your high horse and negotiate with the kid on what you are asking them to do. That includes the amount of ice cream he or she can have and the number of times she (or he) can sing Let It Go.
4. One should mind their p's and q's, if one wants to be a good role model for a kid. Kids learn by imitation.
5. Girls will forever be girls. Give them a mirror and they will be entertained to no end.

These are not life lessons but lessons that I feel very personal about. The joy from parenting (faux-parenting, in my case) is really immeasurable and no words can explain the satisfaction you get when you gain the trust and love from a kid. I guess this is the same emotions that keep the dads on The Return of Superman going...

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. I cannot wait to spend another eternity with Chantel sometime again soon! :)

P/S: Oh, I have never been to Korea because I always thought the cuisine comprises too much vegetable components with every meal and everyone knows how I feel about veggies... The different sights and sounds I saw on the show showed me a different side of Korea I didn't realised existed! Now, Korea's definitely on the list of places I want to visit. Well, after USA, UK, France, Iceland and Cuba this year!